


A Winter Sun-derland

by Vex_ation



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: 2020 Specord Secret Santa, Gen, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28951077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation
Summary: Whi has no idea what gift to get for her Secret Santa Sun or even who Sun IS, but luckily she has some girlfriends to help her get the job done.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18
Collections: 2020 Specord Secret Santa





	A Winter Sun-derland

**Author's Note:**

  * For [necrolus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/necrolus/gifts).



> Written for specord's 2020 secret santa event!! Server invite here: https://discord.gg/3W3JAvff5Q

Whi stared down at the letter in her hands, the nearly blank paper mocking her. The heading, with all its guilt-tripping and pitiful begging, was typed out, but below it was a single name scrawled out in messy handwriting. Other than that? Nothing. 

She was, somehow, stuck with the immeasurable guilt of a mandatory secret santa, her own anxiety pinning her to the ground and forcing her to figure out how to make a stranger’s holiday season. Gold, the Dexholder who sent her the invitation, did not offer her any help at all. There were no likes or dislikes, no region, no age or identifying information, or even a last name. There was just one word-- one three-letter name-- that stared blankly back at her as if taunting her to let her frustrated panicked tears fall onto the paper. Whi folded up the letter, stuffing it back inside the envelope and in her pocket. As much as it pained her, she would have to make a phone call to an old classmate.

\----------

Whi wrung her hands together, staring at Lack and trying to gauge his reaction from the subtle twitch of his lip. Trying to read him was a fool’s errand, but when she was the one asking him for a favor it was the least she could do to avoid annoying him as much as possible. Lack handed her the file without a word, which she noticed with concern was rather thick. 

“What did you find?” she asked. Lack frowned slightly.

“According to Oak’s database, Sun is from Alola, but there was no information other than that. The Interpol database wasn’t much help either. Apparently, there is only one Sun in Alola, but I couldn’t find his age anywhere— no birth certificates, no driver’s license, nothing. Not even a last name. The only information I could find about him was that he moved to Alola from Kanto and immediately entered the workforce.”

“So a workaholic?” Whi questioned. Lack nodded. 

“It appears that way. All the files you’re holding now are permits, receipts of declared commerce, licenses to operate ride pagers, employment forms, and—“ Lack took the pile from her hands and flipped to page 9 “—thirteen counts of felony tax evasion. The Dexholders always surprise me with their achievements but I have my suspicions that this isn’t the Sun you’re looking for.”

Whi stared at the papers in her hands dejectedly. Lack was almost never wrong about these things, which made this ‘Sun’ character even more elusive than she expected. Was Sun even his real name?!

Trying not to cry as the futility of her situation set in, she thanked Lack for his help. Foongy chirruped on her shoulder, nuzzling his head into her cheek as Lack walked away and Whi moved to sulk on a park bench. When he finally disappeared behind the treeline, Whi let her shoulders slump. 

The entirety of Pinwheel Forest park was alive with the spirit of Christmas. The large pine in the center of the park was decorated with lights, ornaments, and a light dusting of snow that made the dark evergreens shimmer. It was shockingly busy, booted feet and paws crunching the snow underfoot as Pokémon bounded around their trainers. Whi looked straight past the cups of coffee and red cheeks covered in kisses to the gifts in people’s hands, the shiny wrapping paper and tight ribbons catching the light bouncing off the snow and glittering like a dozen brilliant beacons. And yet, here she was, giftless. Her empty arms made her ache, a buzzing nervousness filling her head as she racked her brain for something, ANYTHING, that would make for a good gift to the Alolan stranger. She glanced up at the sky. Sun. Sun was his name, and that was all she knew about him. As Foongy cooed and stroked her hair with his tiny arms, Whi let out a long sigh-- and then she heard a chorus of chatter and footsteps. She didn’t have to look up to know what group of girls they belonged to. Before she could move, her old classmates surrounded her on the bench, all bright smiles and sugary perfume and touting warm soy lattes.

“Whi!!” Yuko cheered as the three of them bombarded her with warm hugs. Upon seeing her expression and nervous laugh in response, the mood immediately sobered. 

“What’s wrong, Whi?” said Yuki. 

“You feeling ok? You look sad,” Maya added. 

“Was it that meanie Lack again? We can have a little chat with him if you need.” Yuko asked. 

Whi shuffled her feet. “Um…. no thanks. It’s nothing bad, I just, uh. It’s about a boy.” Within an instant, the girls’ demeanor changed and they looked at each other with darkening eyes. 

“What did he do?”

“Did he break your heart? Yuki, call Hugh, we might need some muscle.”

Whi quickly backpedaled, trying to explain with a horrified expression and shaking hands. 

“N- no!” she squeaked. “I have to get a gift for a boy and um... I don’t know what to get him.” 

The girls, once again, exchanged a knowing glance. Whi loved them, she really did! But in times like these, she couldn’t help but feel nervous around them and their cypher of teen girl eyebrow raises. Even Lack was less cryptic at times. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to explain. “Getting a gift is really hard and… this is my first time, so I really don’t want to screw it up.” 

The girls looked at her with equal parts pity and admiration.

“You poor thing,” Yuko cooed. 

“Could we help?” Yuki asked. “We could go to the mall.” 

The other two oohed and aahed at the suggestion, looking at Whi with Lillipup eyes that made her very soul ache with guilt. But, hey! These girls cared about her— they were her friends! Maybe turning to their expertise was a good idea. Letting herself relax a bit, she smiled at them as warmly as she could manage in her semi-panicked state and said 

“That sounds wonderful,” 

only to be met by a chorus of gleeful teenage squealing. 

\----

Whi did not like malls. She didn’t appreciate the large crowds or the overwhelming cacophony of chit-chat and clinging and clanging. During the holidays there were long lines and mad rushes and poor retail workers who stared at you like they were being held for ransom and the entire thing made Whi hyperventilate. This time, however, she had a gaggle of girls around her, protecting her like a trio of knights surrounding a feeble princess. Sticking tightly to their sides, Whi was whisked around the plaza, stores flashing by like street lamps on a fast drive. She was pulled effortlessly through crowds, narrowingly avoiding crashing into shoppers with armfuls of bags and Pokémon sticking tightly to their trainers. At some point, Whi was given a latte-- though by who and what flavor she did not know. When she finally got the courage to take an experimental sip and realize it was salted caramel, her favorite flavor, she was already being shoved into a store, a prison of white minimalist furniture and ugly paintings of tropical birds closing in on every side. 

“Welcome to Polteageist Barn!” the attendant announced cheerily. Whi fought the urge to dig in her heels as she was herded into the ceramics section. 

“O-kay~” Maya announced. “You said your boy is a workaholic, so I was thinking something practical might be his style. The other two girls nodded and immediately split up, leaving Whi to poke around the comically large pile of bargain mugs in the box before her as they scoured the store for who knew what. Whi frowned at the slogans etched into the mugs.

‘Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee,’ one said. Too harsh.

‘I <3 mornings,’ read another. Too insincere. 

‘Live laugh love,” read a third.  _ Eugh. _

When the girls reconvened, all bearing gifts, Whi felt a touch embarrassed at her lack of… well, anything. Though they presented her with a lot, from pen holders to lap desks, Whi wasn’t quite sure which to pick-- she barely knew Sun after all. Eventually, they decided mugs and office furniture would make bad Christmas gifts anyway, but before Whi could get dragged out, something caught her attention. The other girls noticed, and Maya perked up immediately. 

“Ooo Whi! You have such a good eye,” she said, lavishing her in praise as her Combee fetched Whi’s prize. “It’s cute, it’s festive, and it’s practical!” she gushed. Whi stared down at the bag in her hands, the sturdy red fabric soft in her hands. The white trim and silver zipper gave it a touch of a holiday feel, but it could still work as an everyday bag. Maya gave her a nod of approval as she checked out, the cashier complimenting her purchase. But as Whi ran her fingers over the fabric, the girls realized she wasn’t satisfied. 

“You must really like this boy!” Yuki said. “We should try something else, just as a backup.” Whi gave her a thankful nod as she ran off, the others trailing behind her. 

\----

Thirteen seconds into the department store and Whi was already lost. If not for Yuki’s cheerful exclamations every few seconds and her chittering Wingull circling above their heads, Whi surely would have been stranded in the kitchen appliance aisle, never to be seen again. Yuki led them to the clothing section immediately, leaping into the racks in her search. By the time she had emerged, a long line of dresses on her arm, Whi was already feeling dizzy from the brilliant glow of the fluorescent lights. 

“Why dresses?” Whi asked as she was basically tossed into the dressing room. 

“Because,” Yuki explained, “one of the greatest gifts is your physique! When you give him something for you to wear, it shows you want to put in the time and effort to look pretty for him! Guys appreciate that a lot!” 

“Do they?” Whi asked as she skeptically held out a leather skirt. 

“Absolutely~” someone shouted from down the aisle. The girls all turned their heads to the source, some foreign boy with a shock of white hair and more bags on his arms than Whi could count. “If my friends wore special outfits for me, oo la la! You’ll make a boy very happy if you do that,” he explained as he walked by. Before Whi could ask what he meant or who he was, he had already disappeared into a mess of hangers in the next aisle. 

“See?” Yuki said, “It’s like white hair boy said.”

“ _ It’s a hat _ !” the guy shouted back from across the store. Yuki ignored him and gave Whi a hopeful smile. Whi conceded, letting herself be fawned over as she tried on dress after dress. Though she was feeling rather skeptical about the idea of giving a dress to a stranger, the girls were adamant, and Whi ended up buying some dress that made her look like Santa Claus - fur-trimmed poncho, hat, and all. She instinctively smoothed out the skirt, fidgeting in place as Yuki reminded her again and again of how great she looked. 

“So chic!” Yuki chirped. “I guess boot camp with Lacky really paid off,” she teased. Whi tried to smile as she remembered Lack’s attempts to get her into shape. There were lots of push-ups involved. She cried a lot. Leo made Lack apologize and took her out for ice cream at the end of it. She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it. And yet, even with her cute self in a cute dress and a bag to gift to this stranger, something still felt missing. The girls could see it too, so Yuki and Maya stepped aside as Yuko came to the front, a big smile on her face. She clapped her hands together. 

“My turn!” she exclaimed.

\----

“Really Yuko?” Maya asked. “Are you sure he’ll want something from… here?”

Whi looked around at the brilliant yellow walls, the whimsical machinery stretching from floor to ceiling, and the ridiculous amount of small children running around the place like wild Pokemon. She shrunk into herself, trying to separate herself from the overwhelming nature of it all. The colors were so bright, the noises so loud, and no matter where she went, she felt she was an inch away from crashing into some little kid. All the overstimulation sent her brain into a tizzy, but Yuko seemed incredibly sure of herself. As Whi let herself get pulled over to the start of the line of machines, she had only one thought: Build-A-Teddiursa was a hellscape. 

The deflated skins of a hundred plushies were stuffed into neon bins, taunting her with their empty stares. Whi reached out, hand quivering a bit as her friends offered suggestions on which plush to pick. She settled on the one right in front of her, if only to avoid looking at the rest of the soulless skins. The Delibird plush skin she was holding flopped in her arms, its little wings swinging limply with each step she took. Yuko complimented her on her holiday spirit and pointed to a massive glass box with tubes and foot pedals sticking out, which Whi approached with a touch of apprehension. 

“Happy holidays!” the attendant said. Whi handed her the Delibird, watching as the skin was stretched around the tube. The attendant gestured to the foot pedal. 

“You get to stuff it!” she explained, and even though there was chaos around her, Whi found herself grounded as she watched the plushie get stuffed. The rhythmic pumping of the foot pedal and the transformation from limp skin to happy Delibird was surprisingly fun, especially as her friends ran around looking for little accessories and other things to add to her present. She got to brush its soft fake feathers, put a little heart inside it, and-- apparently to put her love inside-- jump up and down a ton of times. By the time they reached the checkout line, Whi was laughing and smiling. It was the least stressed she had been in months. There was something about those three girls - they always knew how to draw her out of her shell and help her have fun-- real fun. As the four of them went to the food court to discuss their findings over some cheese fries, Whi couldn’t help but think that, for her, these friends were the best present a girl could ask for. 

\---

Whi held the three presents in her hand, feeling skeptical. The party was tomorrow, and she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about these gifts. One was cute, one was practical, and one was attractive, but how could she be sure which one Sun would want? Would he want any of them, for that matter? Despite her friends’ expertise, these felt more like a present for a boyfriend than some random guy, and if Whi wanted anything, it was to avoid coming off strong like that. Maybe… maybe she was thinking about this all wrong. Maybe what she really needed was a guy’s advice. Against her better judgement, she made a phone call. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, Hugh. I uh… if you had to get a gift for a guy, what would you get?” she asked. 

There was a brief bout of silence on the other end of the line. “That’s… are you ok? That was pretty forward and you sound stressed. Uh…. how well do you know him?”

“Not at all, it’s for a secret santa.”

“Oh, that’s easy then!” Hugh replied. “Just get him something super generic, you can’t go wrong. If I were you, I would get--”

_ That was it _ . Hugh was right! There was something perfect to tie the gifts together, to combine the cute, practical and attractive and give Sun something that would never fail to make anyone smile. Whi thanked Hugh for his help and texted the girls again, telling them her plan. Judging by the heart reacts she received in response, her plan was flawless. Even Foongy, who had been dozing atop her head, seemed to approve. She had a single day before she had to go to Johto for the party, but she was, for once, confident. It was time to get Sun the perfect gift.

\---

Whi wanted to cry. This was a terrible idea, an awful idea… what was she thinking? How did Foongy let her talk herself into this? Whi smoothed out her skirt once again. The girls had been right, the dress was adorable on her, but it looked like something she would wear to surprise a date, not some random kid she didn’t know. As she fidgeted in the bathroom, debating whether or not it would be better to climb out the window and disappear forever into the Johtoian wilderness, someone knocked on the bathroom door. No more hiding. 

Whi took a shaky breath and walked out, clinging onto the plush like her life depended on it. When she entered the living room everyone immediately went silent, the bells on her skirt jingling pitifully. 

“Is… is Sun here?” she asked. A boy in a striped shirt pointed at himself as he stared at her with wide eyes, icing and eggnog still smeared over his lips. The girl sitting beside him elbowed him gently, muttering something to him that made him quickly stand up. 

“Yes ma’am,” he replied. Whi walked forward, holding her hands out. The Delibird plush she was holding squeaked from the force, its head flopping to the side. Sun mirrored its confused, blank expression as he stared back at her. She pressed it forward again, but this time he took the plush in his hands. Whi could feel every eye in the room on her and felt herself sweat beneath the weight of the fur cloak. “I- I’m not your present,” she said as she pushed the plushie closer, trying and failing to steady her voice. “Happy Holidays.”

Sun shook the bird gently, as if trying to figure out if there was something hidden inside. 

“Your present is in there,” she explained as Sun turned the plushie over and noticed the bag in its wings. He pointed skeptically and Whi nodded, wishing he would hurry up so she could drown her sorrows in eggnog. 

“So is the bird or the bag the present?” he asked. 

“B- both. But uh, there’s something inside the bag.”

Sun looked beyond confused, but slowly pulled the duffel bag open. When he caught the glint of something within, he lit up brighter than the lights around the room. It looked to everyone else like he had just won the lottery. 

“This is  _ fantastic _ !!” he exclaimed, pulling a simple bank gift card from the bag. “I’m gonna use this to help pay for my lawyer.”

Whi faltered, unsure. As the girl from earlier rolled her eyes and the other dexholders looked around in confusion, Whi frowned slightly, her eyebrows ceasing in worry. 

“Why do you need a lawyer?” she asked cautiously. 

Sun gave her a toothy grin. “Thirteen counts of felony tax evasion.”


End file.
